Protocol for purifying iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells by sequential digestion and intrinsic autofluorescence sorting
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells serve as a promising cell source for transplantation therapy in age-related macular degeneration. Here, we present a protocol for purifying the mature retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells post-differentiation. We describe steps for sequentially digesting cells with different enzymes and sorting them based on the autofluorescence of mature RPE cells, avoiding fixation and immunostaining. By maintaining high cell viability and purity, this cost-efficient protocol has broad implications for both in vitro research and transplantation applications.
Authors
- Hao Qian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5771-5865)
- Rongjing Ge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8633-7004)
- 罗就花
- Fengming Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3789-029X)
- Laibin Ren
- Boling Chu
- Xinrun Lv
- Jing Hu
- Rui Li
- Yongjun Luo
- Bei Liu
- Haijiang Zhang
Institutions
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (CN)
- China Three Gorges University (CN)
- Bengbu Medical College (CN)
- Chengdu Medical College (CN)
- Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital (CN)
- Yichang Central People's Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- STAR Protocols
- Published
- 2026-07-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104731
- Primary Topic
- Retinal Development and Disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Anhui Provincial Department of Education
- Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program
- Science and Technology Program of Hubei Province